Jaguar wants German taxi drivers to choose I-PACE

Jaguar has announced it plans to go head-to-head with Mercedes-Benz to win the hearts and minds of Germany's taxi drivers with a new scheme that has seen 10 Jaguar I-PACE vehicles delivered to Munich's biggest taxi operator.

While Germany's taxi market is thought to exceed 50,000 licensed cabs, the British car-maker will have its work cut-out as Mercedes dominates with more than 60 per cent of all taxi sales.

Working in Jaguar's favour is the burgeoning demand for pure-electric vehicles in Germany, where a number of cities are considering banning diesel vehicles from their centres.

Beating its European opposition to market, the Jaguar I-PACE and Tesla Model S and Model X are expected to make in-roads among drivers ready and willing to make the switch.

Biggest barrier to breaking Mercedes' German taxi dominance is costs. The typical Mercedes E-Class costs half the price of the pure-electric Jaguar SUV, although some of those costs will be offset by subsidies and considerably lower running costs.

Tempting taxi drivers to invest in pure-electric cabs to reduce localised air pollution further, the city of Munich has announced that it will contribute to rides in order to lower operating costs even further, paying 20 cents (31 cents Australian) per kilometre travelled.

"We want to invite people in Munich to drive electric, but also drive Jaguar," Jaguar Land Rover’s CEO Ralf Speth said. "One of the reasons we wanted to be here was the mixed traffic – you’ve got the city traffic, on the other hand you’ve got the autobahn to the airport."

As well as improving air quality, the Jaguar I-PACE is significantly quicker than the current diesel-powered steeds enjoyed by German cabbies. Thanks to its twin electric motors, the I-PACE generates 294kW/696Nm -- enough to haul the pure-electric SUV to 100km/h in just 4.8 seconds.

The biggest barrier to Jaguar's success will not be the 480km range provided by the I-PACE's powerful 90kWh battery, but the 10 hours it takes to 'fast-charge' its battery to 80 per cent – significant down time for a hard-working taxi driver.

Luckily, unlike Australia, Germany is planning to roll out mightier-still 100kW super-fast chargers that reduce that time to around 40 minutes.

Jaguar's honeymoon with the German taxi industry is expected to be short-lived. Mercedes-Benz will launch its I-PACE-rivalling EQ C crossover in 2019.